Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, the pair who gave Japan its first Olympic gold medal in pairs figure skating, will take a self-produced ice show to 10 cities across Japan in 2027, a tour the retired duo says is meant to thank the fans who carried them to the top.
The couple, known to fans as "Riku-Ryu," unveiled the "Rikuryu no Arigato Tour presented by Kinoshita Group" at a press conference in Tokyo on September 15. Rather than simply headlining someone else's production, the pair are planning and producing the show themselves.
Four Cities Confirmed For The January Launch
The tour is scheduled to run from January to around September 2027, with four performances planned in each host city.
Four stops have been locked in so far. The tour opens in Osaka at the Towa Pharmaceutical RACTAB Dome from January 8 to 10, then moves to Hiroshin Big Wave in Hiroshima from January 29 to 31. It heads north to the Asahikawa Taisetsu Arena in Hokkaido from February 19 to 21, before reaching Aqua Dome Kumamoto on the southern island of Kyushu from March 19 to 21. The remaining six cities have yet to be announced.
The tour will focus on venues with rinks built to competition standard. About 10 skaters are being selected for the cast, which is expected to include singles skaters as well as pairs.
Years Training In Canada Shaped The Tour Idea
Miura said the concept grew out of how rarely the pair performed at home during their competitive career.
"We were always based in Canada for training, and most of the time we only came back to Japan when we had a competition," she said. "This time, we planned the tour because we wanted to go out to every part of Japan ourselves and show people what makes pairs skating so appealing."
Kihara described the project as both a showcase for his discipline and a personal thank you. "The starting point was wanting people to know how wonderful pairs and couple events are," he said. "So many fans supported us, and I kept wondering if there was some way we could express our gratitude to everyone."
THE DESTINY Drew 18,000 Fans After Their Retirement
The tour builds on a strong start to the pair's professional life. Their first self-produced ice show, "THE DESTINY," drew a combined 18,000 spectators across four performances over three days in July and August, and a second edition has already been confirmed for next year.
Miura and Kihara formed their partnership in the summer of 2019 and went on to complete a Golden Slam, winning every major international title in the sport. Their crowning moment came at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in February, where they rallied from fifth place after the short program to take gold with a world record free skate. They retired from competition at the end of last season.
Japan has long produced world-class singles skaters, while pairs skating lagged behind for decades. By carrying their show to regional arenas from Hokkaido to Kyushu, Miura and Kihara are hoping to win the discipline a bigger following in their home country.
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